It’s Formula 1 time and what better way to celebrate than at Melbourne’s iconic Sidney Myer Music Bowl with a line-up of all-star rock acts? Throw in some St. Patty’s Day cheer and a few rays of sunshine and you’ve got yourself a recipe for a grand occasion.
The event kicks off with none other than Sydney stoner rockers Wolfmother, who despite various line-up changes and the impending release of their third album, take to the stage as if they haven’t a care in the world. The group is as tight as ever and their stadium rock sound is very well suited to the open air arena. The crowd picnic and dance around the back lawn, as punter gather their drinks and good spirits.
They are a mostly middle-aged lot who seem keen on enjoying every minute of the festivities. Dressed to the nines, some with children in tow, some proudly sporting green, it’s nice to venture into a gig that has none of the usual messiness of a Saturday night in the CBD. Of course, its not quite night yet as the sun is just beginning to fall behind the horizon while Wolfmother finish up their set, having livened up the crowd with jump-around favourite “Woman” and title track off their sophomore album Cosmic Egg.
Next to take stage are The Cranberries, and even though they will be joining Lenny Kravitz on the rest of his Australian tour, it is a bit of a blessing to be experiencing the Irish quartet on St. Patrick’s Day. Vocalist Dolores O’Riordan wishes us all well and dives effortlessly into a solid rendition of “Promises”. After the band’s six year hiatus, it’s strange how natural this gig is for both band and audience alike.
Suddenly we are all transported to 1995, at the height of the group’s success, as they smash hit singles “I Can’t Be With You” and “Linger” without a second thought. O’Riordan only indulges when they finish off their set with “Zombie”, in which she encourages the audience to sing back and orchestrates to the band to give the chorus another go for our sake. A few new songs off their latest album, just released this year, are also worth mentioning – namely the title track “Roses”.
As the darkness intensifies, so too does the energy in the audience. The man we’ve all been waiting for is about to take stage at a moment’s notice, and so people begin to rush the stage and the venue security staff get uppity. They insist on keeping people in their seats which seems to frustrate many until Kravitz enters wearing a pair of sunglasses and a cheeky smile. Suddenly everyone is up on their feet screaming, dancing, vying for his attention.
The Kravitz ensemble boasts four members from his previous Australian line-up as well as four new members. “It’s been 18 years since I last came to Australia,” he confesses, and its an incredible fact that makes you realise how timeless his music has been over the years. The horn section get things popping as they start the set off with “Come On and Get It”. The graphics on the screen present a woman dancing suggestively and she’s almost more distracting then Kravitz – almost.
Of course, his ensemble is just as talented as he is, but his vocals really do stand out above the rest, especially on songs “American Woman” and “Stand By My Woman”. It doesn’t hurt that he can still shred on the guitar as well. As lights flash Kravitz dances about the stage between a number of guitar changes, it is the music that really fills the amphitheatre. The crowd looses it when they enter a flawless rendition of “Are You Gonna Go My Way”, and rightly so. This is probably Kravitz’s most popular effort, though it seems like it takes him no effort at all to get through the mad guitar solos and screeching vocals. Guitarist Craig Ross is right on track for this one, but oddly enough, most of the gig encompasses some unforgettable improvisations from the horn section, most notably from the trumpet player.
Kravitz indulges us in a encore that ends up being a near 30-minute rendition of “Let Love Rule”, in which we the audience are subjected to singing the chorus bit “You’ve got to let love rule” over and over again much to Kravitz’s delight. He even makes the rounds in the crowd, right up to the lawn to welcome fans up close and personal. He seems genuinely happy and thankful to be here, and punters can be sure that if it wasn’t for the strict venue time restrictions, we’d probably all be there now – still singing, still smiling, still eating up every inch of the legendary Lenny Kravitz.
– Cayce Hill
